ISTANBUL

The Turkish foreign minister on Saturday met with Ethiopian leaders in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

After his arrival in the Horn of Africa country, Hakan Fidan was received by Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and also met with his counterpart Taye Atske Selassie, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Fidan is expected to discuss bilateral relations, Ethiopia’s reconciliation with neighboring Somalia, as well as regional issues during his visit, according to diplomatic sources.

Türkiye-Ethiopia diplomatic relations date back to 1896, before the founding of the Republic of Türkiye. They also hold notable importance in Türkiye's Africa Partnership Policy.

The Turkish Embassy in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa was established in 1926, while Ethiopia's Embassy in Ankara opened in 1933. Although Ethiopia's Ankara Embassy was closed in 1984 due to a regime change, it was reopened in 2006.

As bilateral ties deepened through regular contact and mutual visits on a positive and friendly basis, the trade volume jumped from around $27 million in 2000 to some $345 million in 2023. The target is to increase the volume over the next five years to $1 billion.

Türkiye ranks among the top four countries in terms of direct foreign investments in Ethiopia. As Turkish companies' interest in Ethiopia grows, 70 Ethiopian firms and 250 Turkish firms attended the Türkiye-Ethiopia Business Forum this May in Istanbul.